American Sports Bookie Found Dead In Unmarked Grave One Year After Kidnapping And Ransom
Authorities revealed what they think happened.
abc When individuals die overseas, it can take quite a while before we find out. In famous cases like Natalee Holloway and Madeleine McCann, the bodies of the victims were never found, nor were their killers brought to justice.
But in one particular case, the discovery of a body has just led to more questions.
Who is William Sean Creighton? The 43-year-old was known as one of the most important sportsbook operators in Costa Rica. On September 24, 2018, he disappeared while leaving work. His wife, a native of Costa Rica, reported him missing the following day.
Though authorities initially investigated his disappearance as a kidnapping that would follow with a ransom, they never received one. However, Creighton’s wife claimed she received a call asking for $750,000 to be paid in Bitcoin. Despite her claims, a $1 million ransom was paid, according to the Judicial Investigation Department, known as the OIJ (Organismo de Investigación Judicial).
According to authorities, it’s believed Creighton was driving and was forced off the road. Around 10 PM that night, traffic officers signaled for him to stop and when he did, four men in a gray pick-up truck grabbed him. He was abducted at gunpoint and abandoned his car, which was found crashed into a gate on private property.
In January 2019, Walter Espinoza, Director of Judiciary Investigative Police in Costa Rica, released a statement regarding Creighton’s kidnapping. In it, he revealed that 12 people who were believed to be involved in the kidnapping were arrested during raids in Costa Rica and Spain.
“[Creighton] was intercepted in the area of Granadilla, Curridabat, precisely the night of September 24. This event had the participation of at least four people; these four people were aboard a gray pick-up truck... according to the hypothesis of the police, two officers of the transit police also took part of the event. These two officers contributed to stopping Creighton’s car; this allowed the people aboard the pick-up truck to proceed with the kidnapping.
It was at this point that the criminal group began negotiations with the victim’s family to obtain ransom money, initially they requested a very high amount, of close to $5 million USD, this amount was then brought down to close to $1 million USD, which is the amount that was actually paid through the use of crypto currency, specifically bitcoins. OIJ initiated the investigation on September 25 when the report was received and after negotiations and the payment had already taken place.
At this point we were able to determine that the suspects had maintained communication among themselves, that some of them had already left the country, and we managed to establish that they had distributed the different functions to carry out the crime.
The searches took place in Cartago (2), La Union (2), Santo Domingo Heredia (1), La Trinidad Moravia (1), Limón, Siquirres and Sarapiquí; three people were also detained in Zaragoza, Spain in collaboration with Spanish authorities. This because the investigation showed that the leader of the organization, identified as Jorduan Morales Vega, had left the country by ground to Panama. He then traveled to El Salvador and from there to Cuba where he remained for one month, and then moved to Spain where we relocated several times. Spanish police has maintained vigilance over the suspects for over a month.
In Spain, three people were detained: Morales Vega, his wife, Maria Fernanda Solís Cháves, and the mother of Morales, Guiselle Vega Aguirre... there is evidence that both the mother and wife were directly related with the crime. During the search we found documents that link the suspects to the kidnapping, particularly financial information, including details of the three e-wallets were the ransom money was transferred.
The man driving the gray pick-up truck was detained in Santo Domingo de Heredia, and he is identified as Mauricio Castillo. The pick-up truck was rented under the name of Jorduan Morales Vega, the other two people in the truck were Alejandro Vega Aguirre and Kenny Fort Dougma, this last one was the one that drove Creighton’s car after the kidnap and crashed it in Heredia.”
But now, it appears Creighton’s body has been found. Creighton, who was also known as “5Dimes Tony,” was discovered in a cemetery in an unmarked grave in Quepos, located three hours from where he was abducted. The cause of death is not yet known. Morales, Aguirre, and Chaves are all currently awaiting trial.
Creighton's car was found crashed into a gate located on private property.
The U.S. State Department released a statement, confirming his death: “We can confirm Costa Rican authorities identified the remains of a U.S. citizen in Costa Rica. We offer our sincerest condolences to the family on their loss. We are closely monitoring local authorities’ investigation into the cause of death. We stand ready to provide all appropriate consular assistance. Out of respect to the family during this difficult time, we have no further comment.”
Creighton founded 5Dimes in 1999, a casino that offers players a “unique online gaming experience with sports betting.” The headquarters are located in San Pedro, next to Costa Rica’s capital city. As for the man himself, he grew up in West Virginia and was the son of William Creighton, owner of Giant Eagle grocery stores. After earning a degree in business administration, he launched 5Dimes one year later.
But in 2016, the Department of Homeland Security began investigating the company for money laundering. In a warrant filed in U.S. District Court, an agent revealed he believed the company instructed bettors in the U.S. to “use gift cards as a way to place and later cash out bets.”
Charges were never brought against the company or Creighton, but the investigation remains open.
Samantha Maffucci is an editor for YourTango who focuses on writing trending news and entertainment pieces. In her free time, you can find her obsessing about cats, wine, and all things Vanderpump Rules.